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OpenAI has also said it’s losing money even on its most expensive $200 per month subscriptions because people are using it too much and, opposite to all other online behaviors, being too polite.
Wonder if they will start charging in fractions of world coin!
The McDonald’s Snack Wrap is just another pawn in the chicken wars
As this email hits your inbox, McDonald’s will be reporting its quarterly earnings (the call is scheduled for 8:30 a.m. Wednesday) and investors will be hoping it doesn’t suffer the fate of competitor Yum! Brands, the parent company of KFC, Pizza Hut, and Taco Bell. The conglomerate missed expectations yesterday amid a slowdown in consumer spending, especially at KFC, as competition in the chicken arena heats up, with chains like Chick-fil-A and newcomers like Raising Cane’s, Dave’s Hot Chicken, and Church’s Chicken clucking at its heels.
Well, McDonald’s isn’t sitting out the chicken fight, and has brought back the “most requested” discontinued item of all time: the Snack Wrap. While we haven’t yet listened to the call to see if the move was a success, days after the item re-hit menus, the wraps were selling so well that McDonald’s stores were reportedly running out of lettuce.
But the Snack Wrap isn’t just about appeasing a rabid fan base; it’s a weapon in one battle of the Fast-Food Chicken Wars, the winner of which will feed Americans’ insatiable appetite for the bird and make money doing so.
After decades of steady growth, chicken finally out-pecked beef in 2010 as the most consumed animal protein in the United States, and it’s been poultry in motion ever since, as multiple charts make clear.
For restaurants and grocers, which live and die on thin margins, the price of beef has soundly outpaced the price of chicken in the US for over a decade.
As fast-food restaurants take an absolute beating over their menu prices, the revival of the Snack Wrap in all its efficiency, austerity, and portable glory has offered an opportunity for McDonald’s to change the conversation.
People clamored for the wraps, and we’ll be keen to see if internet buzz helped bring consumers back to the Golden Arches after last quarter’s disappointing same-store sales data.
The Takeaway
In 2025, chicken still rules the roost, but its fixture in the humble wrap and its sheen of somehow being a healthier fast-food option speaks to a consumer culture that’s currently obsessed with protein, wary of carbs, and constantly snacking instead of relying on full meals. And with a seemingly unshakable sense of financial anxiety swirling, the allure of a well-priced wrap reflects a consumer base that is nervous, nostalgic, and hungry for a tasty value.